Amid a harsh operating environment, Ecobank Group has achieved a 23 per cent rise in profit before tax (PBT) to $398 million in its unaudited results for the first half of 2025.
Despite economic challenges in key markets, the company’s cost-to-income ratio improved to 49.1 per cent while net revenue grew by 12 per cent year-on-year to $1.1 billion.
Its customer deposits surged by $3.4 billion during the year to $23.9 billion, with 83 per cent held in low-cost current and savings accounts – clear evidence of customers’ growing confidence in the group.
The bank’s corporate and investment banking division posted 44 per cent increase in profit before tax rise to $323 million, driven by improved asset and liability management and client demand for foreign exchange and trade finance services, while consumer and commercial banking delivered a 10 per cent increase in profit before tax to $216 million, with continued growth across small and medium enterprises, high-value individuals.
The improved performance may, however, be attributed to the robust investment made by the group to strengthen its digital infrastructure and customer experience capabilities over the past six months.
A recently announced partnership with Google Cloud, the first of its kind by an African banking group, aims to advance data architecture, security and scale payment innovation.
Reacting to the performance, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, Jeremy Awori, said: “The Group’s financial performance for the first half of 2025 demonstrated resilience in the face of macroeconomic uncertainties. They showcased the advantages provided by the Group’s diversified business model and the effectiveness of our growth, transformation and returns (GTR) strategy.”
Awori pointed out that the Group made meaningful investments in technology, distribution and customer experience, rolling out hundreds of new ATMs and investing in advanced loan management systems, transaction banking platforms and wealth management solutions.
“As the Group approaches its 40th anniversary, we remain committed to delivering world-class financial services, deepening inclusion and unlocking long-term value for customers, partners, shareholders and communities across Africa”, Awori concluded.
In addition, regional performance was also strong across the Group’s markets. Profit before tax in the Francophone West Africa region rose by 12 per cent to $176 million. Anglophone West Africa delivered $175 million in profit before tax, a 19 per cent increase driven by Ghana’s positive performance. In Nigeria, profit before tax improved by 45 per cent, showing signs of a turnaround despite economic challenges.
Also, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa recorded a 27 per cent rise in profit before tax to $207 million.
Its asset quality continued to improve, with the ratio of non-performing loans falling to 5.7 per cent from 6.7 per cent at the end of 2024. The group maintains capital buffers approximately 300 basis points above regulatory requirements.
